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City hard against Continued from page 1) having their hours cut in January if they exercise their right to refuse to work on that day. _ o ‘"‘The largest portion of people who are afraid are elderly ladies who are afraid that if they are let go they will have difficulty getting a new job," said Baker. said, "I think we should make some public statement about the type of employers who would do that type of Baker said that the employees of the mall "are asking you to take a lead in this community in opposing Sunday shopping... We are asking you to preserve a way of life in this community." . There will be at least 10 stores closed at Conestoga Mall on Dec. 27, including Robinson Ogilvie, said Baker. ‘"Without Robinson‘s, there‘s no drawing card at that mall.R‘*" highâ€"technology city, with a wellâ€"eduâ€" cated, middleâ€"class professional populaâ€" tion. But there is another Waterloo. A Waterloo of poor le, of youth needing help to "make it%m’s a Waterloo of people needing food hampers to be able to feed their families, of seniors finding it difficult to live on their allowance, of familres desperately trying to make ends meet on insufficient social assistance payments. _ The Chronicle begins a series this week outlining the extent of the "hidden minority" in Waterloo. Rhonda Carey quit school at 15. It was a mistake and the 18â€"yearâ€"old has deâ€" cided to do something about it. Carey has enrolled in the provinciallyâ€"sponsored ‘"Futures" program, and in addition to working in the afternoon, she is going to school for a couple of hours each morning. "I don‘t have my grade nine," she says. "I want to be a hairdresser and I need grade 10. But I want to keep working as well, so I can save some money for (hairdressing) school." Carey had "problems" in school the first time round. In the end she decided that working with her mother at a car rental agency would be more to her liking, and quit. Mayor Marjorie Carroll, visibly angered by that news, After a while, Carey tried woodworking in a couple of local factories. "They were alright, but the people I worked with weren‘t," she recalls chuckling. Carey smiles a lot. Unlike many teenagers who quit school early, Carey continues to live at her parents‘ Waterloo home. She also works at a car wash where her boss told her about the Futures program at Lutherâ€" wood Youth Employment Counselling. She likes the staff at Lutherwood. ‘"‘They are very nice people," she says, displaying another broad smile. bistitlt in o Atate <Albinisiabilitcrt B l iach arcofficdniaitiatsat 1nd n ow w e oo ies " m im n n n c w ho en n e en s e es o e cce sre c o d P o n itE n e on s ucce en en et i e en o i I Carey is determined to make a success into jobs they can‘t otherwise get into, _ is needed. "It‘s a place where people help you and of the Futures program. She vows to that are outside their educational or skill "If they have less than grade 12, they YOu help them. You do some good," he attend school partâ€"time for "as long as it level. The purpose of Futures is to give _ can be on Futures for up to a year if they SAYSâ€" Changing times cause pres lan Kirkby Chronicle Staff Lutherwood Youth Employment Counselling triese to help teenagers and young adults from Waterloo region "make it" in the local economy. â€" ‘"‘There are not a lot of good opportunities for good jobs," said Joe Connolly, the acting director of Lutherwood. "If you don‘t have Grade 12 and some experience and some skill to offer an industry, they are not willing to hire. ‘"‘The opportunities for kids without that are few. We try to work with them to prepare them for that opportunity." For most of the people who wailk through the door at 278 King St. W. in Kitchener "school was a failure â€" it didn‘t work for them," said Connolly. "Our average client has about a Grade 9 or 10 education. More than a third of kids who start high school these days don‘t finish Grade 12." â€" The changing local economy is quickly making people with only a basic education obsolete. "As we go more and more highâ€"tech in our society, the jobs that used to be open to someone with Grade 10 aren‘t there anymore â€" like auto mechanics. That field is becoming computerized." The result is that kids who quit schgool early today can easily end up in very lowâ€"paying deadâ€"end job ghettoes such as working as a short order cook in a fast food restaurant or a clerk in a store. "Our mandate is to deal with socially disadvantaged youth," Connolly said. Basically, it means they have significant and Waterloo has an takes me". Elaine Scharlach supervises the Fuâ€" tures program at Lutherwood. Of the 30 teenagers and young adults she‘s workâ€" ing with at the moment, Scharlach estimates that between 30 and 40 per cent of them are from Waterloo. ~*~~«â€"â€"~ma P48 P i) ofi iess in % ia8 a M s ¥®* # ‘S‘tf l § is R M s tC * 3 wakZ . 3 R C 3 a + O oi y i e :.: > w i ~ s \ 3 o ooo a s ym s M + s i e t *# . i " ~C e i‘;"’(‘- si" “?‘t o a $ ‘ " e Ph, :+ 46 im * ons : C o anaal.; _ :rt v'i’” e B .. 3 4 *1. l ‘AF o t\ M sd + We s ui i k u-wi;f‘»“g!‘ P e * s ) _' "% * * ",,.";1 P Lafi% l . Cl k ** a 2 o y# ue > o f o olpe: stt x * ht is + eE * >'9.', > @ is» + . & F. E4 * 3 3 * .. Ph P â€" S _: § 4 * M % m ) Tt . $ ‘ Ej t > lt . ® a 4e « P% t * PB \afte : h f P fikt i ant 3 + + &4 4 $ «i C J + ‘ 4 d ‘ 4 ... Slite y _i Scharlach thinks the program meets a need. "Many come in to Future‘s to get into jobs they can‘t otherwise get into, that are outside their educational or skill level. The purpose of Futures is to give Brent Grover and Rhonda Carey are upgndlng their education and receiving work experience through a ‘‘‘Futures‘"‘‘ program offered at Lutherwood. The youth counselling service helps kids get a second chance at education and teaches them life and employment skills. lan Kirkby photo Solid footing with Lutherwood program The Hidden Minority Coun. John Shortreed noted that council had received a request from Conestoga Mall to provide bus service to the mall on that day, and asked Baker, "If we turn it down will it inconvenience the staff® who work that day? To laughter from council members, Baker replied, ‘"No. Employees intend to take taxis and bill it to the companies. If they want us to work, they have to pay for it." Carroll asked Baker to send the petition to Queen‘s Park along with a motion from council opposing the proposed legislation. "Quite frankly, if your petition goes along with ours, they will strengthen each other. We will give you all the support we can give you. But we need your support." Carroll also called for area citizens to make their views known on this issue. "I hope no one forgets who the MPP is for this area. Mr. (Herb) Epp should get copies (of the resolution) and piles of them.‘ meaningful barriers to employment." Those barriers include a deficit of education, legal, and lifestyle problems, or bad work habits. _ S _ "They are more vulnerable to being trapped in a cycle of low education, therefore lower job oppertunities, therefore lower income," said Connolly. It‘s a cycle that can repeat for generations. Lutherwood‘s staff of 10 will help about 500 people this year. They will help them in a myriad of ways. They will help some find a place to live. Others will receive child management training and family counselling. â€" Prepanng them to take advantage of opportunities i. ; advar. ment is not easy. Many come from broken homes, and often live on their own. Most will receive some sort of vocational and employment counselling. These participants will learn to set goals, write resumes, present themselves in interviews. They will be guided in a job search, and receive followâ€"up conselling to help them keep their jobs. Those with lifeskill problems will be coached. Those eligible for the provincial Futures program will be guided through that combination of workâ€"experience and educational upgrading. "One of the big things we do is try to encourage young people to go back to school or stay in school," said Connolly. Lutherwood has "between a 75 and 80 per cent success rate," Connolly said. "That is, they are working or in an educational placement three months later." them experience in a job where an employer â€" wouldn‘t _ normally â€" touch them." Scharlach notes that there are a lot of deadâ€"end minimum wage jobs flipping hamburgers and such available in the area. But for people to move beyond those jobs into positions with reasonable wages and a future, a program such as Futures is needed. WATERLOO CHARONICLE, WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 16, 1987 â€" PAGE 3 go to school three hours a week," she said. "A lot of kids can‘t afford to go back to school when they‘ve been out a couple of years." Participants receive $4.55 an hour while in the program. _ _ â€" one other key facet to supplement the formal education and work experience. "I run workshopg on the day they get paid," said Scharlach. The workshops cover life skills such as money management, sa problemâ€"solving, assertiv alcohol abuse, commu: and building selfâ€"esteem By the time most participants have enrolled in Futures, "they‘ve reâ€"evaluatâ€" ed their life," said Scharlach. "A lot of kids have matured." Brent Grover is 17 and has lived for the last five years in a group home on King St. in Waterloo. He‘s an epileptic and a selfâ€"described "slow learner". "My parents have a farm up north and my mother doesn‘t want me around because she can‘t watch me 24 hours a day. She wants to be on the safe side." While he does phone his parents every weekend and visits them twice a month, Grover says he enjoys living in the group home. _ "It‘s an independent home. You‘re free to live there and go out for work and come back after work. I make my own supper. There‘s not people watching over you for everything. You have your own responsibilities."‘ Grover is also enrolled in the Futures program and is working on his grade 12 at the special education level. He also visits Lutherwood regularly. ‘"‘They help you a lot. If I‘ve got some problems I come and see one of the guys here and talk it out. If I‘m doing something wrong in my job, I come here and they help me correct it." Grover works partâ€"time for the Salvaâ€" tion Army, loading and unloading the collection trucks. He likes the job and intends to stay with the Salvation Army. Joe Connolly ures, "they‘ve reâ€"evaluatâ€" said Scharlach. "A lot of at Lutherwood provides 1ent, safety on assertiveness, d communications the job, drug and is skills,